


Countdown

by renegadeDrone



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Inspired by the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, Pre-Season 1, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, The Moon - Freeform, space travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-30 13:43:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19854397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renegadeDrone/pseuds/renegadeDrone
Summary: Luther's new mission helps him live his childhood dream- going to the moon.He vows to do his best to make Dad proud.





	Countdown

“Number One, you may begin the launch sequence,” Pogo’s voice crackled through the radio.

“Roger, Pogo, initiating launch sequence,” Luther responded, running down the list of switches and keystrokes laid out in the manual on his lap. It was detailed and had to be done in the perfect order, and some steps required him to count under his breath to time the next switch properly. “Pogo, this is Number One, launch sequence is complete,”

“Number One, stand by for the launch status check,” the line goes dead. Luther takes a deep breath, pushing down a wave of fear. He had always loved space. Visiting the moon? It was his dream. He considered himself lucky to have the opportunity to go, even with a mission to occupy most of his time.

First he’d have to make it there, and he basked in the mixed awe and terror of the powerful rocket that would carry him.

Space travel was the true marvel of modern technology. Every day of training on the engineering and operation of the rocket he gained more respect for it.

The communication channel scratched to life.

“Number One, the mission is a go for launch,” Pogo announces. Luther laughs, adrenaline running through him.

“Thank you, Pogo,”

The rocket roars to life beneath him, the vibration rattling his bones and rumbling in his chest. The sound is deafening, pressure popping his ears. 

And slowly, slowly, the rocket pushes away from the earth.

Luther's breath catches in his chest. The sheer force, sheer power caught him off-guard even though he knew to expect it. 

There were several maneuvers to be completed to make sure he cleared the launch site and entered orbit safely. All in all, 31 events within eleven minutes would take him into Earth's orbit.

But once he was there, and the orbit navigation system took control, Luther took his first real look at the Earth from space. 

Words couldn't do it justice. Clouds swirled against blue ocean, green and grey of forests and mountains, strings of light connecting city to city and outlining bodies of water. The Earth was tiny in comparison to the vastness of the universe, but- it was beautiful.

"Number One, report back,"

"Pogo! I'm in orbit now. Everything went well, uh, all systems are fine, practically smooth sailing," Luther responded, suddenly becoming aware of how light he felt. "I'm floating," he mumbled, fingers grasping at the harness keeping him in his seat. It clicked open, allowing him to untangle himself from its straps and push his way across the cabin. "I'm floating!"

"How remarkable," Pogo murmured. "I'm going to give Grace the communications channel, for a medical check," 

The medical check was simple; his vitals were being measured by sensors in his suit, and Mom was monitoring them constantly, so he only had to answer her questions about how he was feeling and if he had noticed anything unusual during the launch. He had been fine, he told her, and she let him describe how zero-gravity felt and what he could see from orbit.

She reminded him that he had taken a camera with him, and that she would love to see any photos he took, and that he was welcome to send them home in the vacuum-sealed bags alongside his samples and data.

Of course, he knew that Dad would rather keep his photos to study them, especially ones he took farther from Earth. It didn't stop him from taking a few extra, of things that were more pretty than scientific, so maybe she could have some to keep. Dad wouldn't mind, he knew. He'd be sending new film along in the supply shuttles.

According to the flight plan, Luther would circle the Earth twice before leaving orbit for the moon. He spent that time taking more photos, writing down his observations, and trying to do a somersault. 

The mission timer ticked on, however, and soon he realized it was time to begin the next phase of his journey.

"Hey Pogo? We're coming up on two hours and thirty minutes. I'm going to begin preparing for the next burn,"

"Excellent. Grace and I will begin a readiness poll on the rocket's systems. Standby," 

Luther turned back to the controls, busying himself with the next checklist while Pogo and Mom, from the ground, studied the data and determined if the next maneuver was safe. He kept an eye on the clock as he did, even though he knew it would take sixteen minutes before he heard whether he was cleared to proceed.

"Number One, trans-lunar injection is a go," At this, Luther initiates the relatively brief, but important rocket burn that pushes him out of orbit and towards the moon. He watches the navigation systems as he does, wary that he might need to make a correction, but the numbers are exactly where he expected them to be. The burn went perfectly.

"Pogo, TLI went exactly as planned. I'm going to the moon!"

"You sure are, my boy,"

~~~

Zero-gravity was fun, once you get used to it. Luther supposed he wasn't quite used to it, having spilled a food pouch all over this half of the command module, but aside from that he was adjusting well to pushing himself off various surfaces to where he needed to go. He found he needed to rein in his strength a bit more than he did on Earth, but it was a relatively painless change (he figured that learning curve could've gone a lot worse).

Luther was still adapting to his new body. Less than a year had passed since that fateful mission, and Luther still hadn't decided how he felt about it. He felt a lot of things, most of which he wasn't sure how to articulate. If anyone asked, he would say that it was a price he payed for his life. He was glad to still be alive, was grateful to Dad and Pogo for saving his life. But the way his body was now (he hadn't quite accepted it as his, and couldn't stand to refer to it as simply himself) was foreign and weird, and didn't move the way he expected it to. He considered himself deformed, even though he never voiced it.

He had never been ordinary, and that had been okay, because his power had made him better. It had given him a way to help others, and the sense of duty to do so. He was proud every time he used his powers. 

It was different when he had woken up to find he had been modified beyond recognition. Yes it had saved him, but that was its only grace. Nothing he owned fit, no doorway in the house or in public was big enough that he didn't have to duck and shrug his shoulders. His training became largely unhelpful as his balance and centre of gravity changed. He felt separated from his own body, like it didn't belong to him, and when he saw his own reflection the feeling stung.

The one thing about being in space, that he never predicted as a child, was how the weightlessness made it comfortingly hard to tell his own mass, and how the solitude and lack of reflective surfaces let him bypass his self-consciousness.

He was still misjudging what spaces he could fit in, and how much room he needed to turn around, but the module had been built for him, which made it easier. He was mostly prone to bumping floating objects with his shoulders as he turned around and sending them spinning away. He'd spent a decent chunk of time chasing things down when it happened.

There wasn't much to be done until it was time to enter lunar orbit; mostly monitoring the systems and navigation and preparing for the rest of the mission. 

He was looking forward to his new home on the moon; he had seen it briefly, a while ago. The habitat, as well has his lab equipment, had been sent ahead of time so he would only have to move his belongings into it. He imagined that what he was feeling was a bit like getting his own apartment. This was a long-term mission requiring a lot of independent study; he had several experiments and sample collections that were required, but aside from that he had to identify and respond to threats without knowing what they might be beforehand. It had been left up to him to devise his own means of searching for those threats, which was exciting and frightening. He had done a good job, and his system would only take a day or so to set up. 

He hadn't heard anything from the ground since a brief update this morning, a couple hours ago. 

With a little flash of what might be pride, Luther realized that this radio silence must be another marker of independence; his father recognized that Luther was skilled enough to make important calls. Dad no longer needed to approve his actions because he trusted Luther to do what he needed to and do it right. 

The only way forward was to keep making Dad proud. He could do it. He was deserving of the designation of 'Number One'.

~~~

"This is Number One," Luther stared out the window, barely able to do more than whisper. "I can see the moon. It's really close. It's so beautiful," 

"Luther, this is Mom," her clear, sweet voice seems to float through the air. "That's wonderful, dear," Luther smiles softly. "Can you describe it to me? I wish I could see it,"

"Of course,"


End file.
